Arrest of School Football Coach Sparks Bullying on Twitter

Students at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC turned to Twitter to respond to the arrest of the school football coach. Michael Supak, 37, is accused of having indecent liberties with a student. The incident report says he forcibly kissed the victim October 14. Supak was charged November 15 and students quickly turned to social media to speak their minds. Some students said the messages got out of hand and were too harsh towards the victim.

According to Hoggard High School Principal Eric Pfirman, there was an immediate drop in Twitter traffic after the entire student body was addressed about the safe use of social media. Pfirman said specific individuals were identified and addressed with disciplinary actions ranging from parental notification to suspension. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating the cyber bullying, but to Pfirman’s knowledge no charges have been filed at this time.